When Darkness Falls
by LadyKayoss
Summary: Squall has fallen under a curse, and Rinoa may be the only one who can free him. If it's even possible...
1. The Transformation

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS KVCC Normal Commons 2 107 2001-10-31T14:54:00Z 2001-10-31T14:54:00Z 6 1906 10865 Kalamazoo Valley Community College 90 21 13342 9.3821 6 pt 2 2 

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of these characters; Square does.  Only the situation is my own.

This is my first attempt at a horror story.  Sorry if I failed miserably.  Happy Halloween, everybody.

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS

Part One

The Transformation

Death was a corona of red-on-black fire.  It flitted through the shadows on swift, silent paws and was armed with dagger-like claws and slavering fangs.  It stalked the darkened corridors of the mind, leaving torn and bloodied bodies in its wake.  The dying screams were like music to the monster's ears, and the sharp tang of blood left it lusting after more.

It would kill and kill and kill until its hunger was sated.  It would destroy all life it encountered, rending and tearing with its claws.  It would show no compassion, no mercy.  The creature thrived on death.  

Its pleasure in the killing was dampened by the fact that it wasn't yet real.  The people it mutilated would be back the next night, and the next.  But the barrier was weakening, it sensed.  It faded a little more every day, and was nearly gone.  Soon, the dream would become reality.  But for now, it would satisfy itself with the illusion of death.

When the time came, it would make the corridors run red with blood.  It would feast upon real flesh.  And no one would ever be able to contain it again.

*   *   *

Squall woke with a start, but the dream that had so frightened him was already fading, the disturbing images that he'd been seeing for several nights eluding his grasp.  They had to be the same dreams, though.  He'd never had any others that left him feeling so helpless and vulnerable…

…and so violently angry.  He clenched his hands in an effort to control his inexplicable rage, trembling at the effort.  His nails bit into his palm, drawing blood.

Squall stared at the throbbing scratches for a moment, each a line of black in the dim light.  He absently licked the blood away, shivering at the strange thrill the taste gave him, then decided to try to get back to sleep.  He'd already had the dream once tonight; it wouldn't come to disturb him again.  Not until tomorrow.

*   *   *

In her room a few doors down from Squall's, Rinoa awoke, clutching her sweat-soaked sheet to her body.  A vague feeling of unease intruded upon her sorceress senses, but she couldn't identify the source.  All she could tell was that something was about to happen.

A burning visage, red shot through with black, imposed itself upon her mind.  Fiery eyes glowered at her, boring through her straight to her soul.  It grinned at her with vaguely canine jaws before vanishing from her mind.

_What the hell…?_ she wondered.  It was a vision, she realized.  It had to be.  But what did it mean? 

A cold lump of fear formed in her stomach.  Something was coming.  And it had set its sights upon her…

*   *   *

"Are you feeling okay, Squall?  You look a little pale."

Squall ignored Selphie's concerned look, concentrating on his untouched breakfast as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.  Beside him, an equally concerned Rinoa waved a hand in front of Squall's glazed blue eyes.

"Earth to Squall," Rinoa said.  "Are you there?"

Squall blinked, turning to face his friends finally.  "I just have a slight headache," he mumbled.

"Maybe you should see Dr. Kadowaki," Selphie suggested brightly.  "You want to be okay for the Spring Festival tonight!" she continued enthusiastically. Rinoa just gazed at him, a thoughtful look on her face.  Something was bothering her, Squall noticed.  Her normally friendly and cheerful face had a withdrawn look, as if something were on her mind that she didn't want anyone to know about.  Squall had worn that look often enough to recognize it in someone else.

She met his eyes, and an unreadable look darkened them before she turned away.  Something was definitely up with her.

"I don't need a doctor," Squall said.  "It's just a small ache.  I can probably get rid of it with a potion."

"But-" Selphie began.

"I don't want to hear about it anymore," Squall said sharply.

Rinoa was looking at him again, her eyes searching his face.  She looked as if she wanted to protest, but was wisely keeping silent.  Good; he didn't want to deal with her concern too!

But the silence was very unlike her.  He wondered if she might not be feeling well, either.  Squall dismissed that though.  If something were wrong with Rinoa, she would tell him whether he wanted to hear or not.  Besides, he had other things to worry about, like the pounding headache that was making it difficult to concentrate, and the red haze that clouded his vision whenever he looked at anyone.  If it got any worse, he promised himself, he'd go see Dr. Kadowaki.  But not right now.  He had too much work to do.

Squall excused himself from the table, missing Selphie's troubled look, and Rinoa's expression of thinly veiled terror.

*    *    *

She had seen it again.  The creature that had haunted her dreams had peered out at her through Squall's steel-blue eyes.  It had been so small she'd almost missed it, but she'd spotted two glittering points burning like embers in the depths of Squall's pupils.

What was going on?  Was a sorceress trying to gain control of Squall?  Somehow Rinoa doubted it could be anything that simple.

*    *    *

The day passed normally, with nothing occurring to justify Rinoa's fears.  Squall seemed a little more withdrawn than normal and had excused himself from dinner early, but that could have been explained by his headache.  He still wasn't feeling well and had actually gone to see Dr. Kadowaki, who had advised that he sleep it off.

Which left Rinoa without a date to the Spring Festival.  Without Squall, she didn't really feel like going.  

So Rinoa spent the rest of the evening fretting.  Her sense of foreboding increased as the sun went down and the sky blackened.  She was standing by the second floor balcony, watching the stars twinkle into existence and searching for an elusive shooting star.

What had she seen in Squall's eyes?  Had it been her imagination?  She'd never seen anything like it before.  Perhaps she was the one with the problem.  She was the sorceress, after all.

Rinoa toyed with the rings strung around her neck, her fingers caressing the savage lion head of Squall's ring.  He'd chosen such a fierce creature to honor.  Was he fascinated by the creature's glinting jewel eye and the razor-sharp teeth?

The feel of strange, evil magic washed over her, overwhelming her senses.  Rinoa cried out and staggered against the railing as the assault continued.  Something was wrong!  She could feel an edge of rage and hatred attached to the invading emotions, and the power of it nearly blinded her to everything else.

_It's happening!_ she thought desperately, clambering to her feet.  Whatever it is, it's happening now!

Rinoa ran through the door into Garden's empty hall, one thought on her mind.  She had to help Squall because he was at the center of this!

*    *    *

Pain!  It ripped through Squall's body with claws of fire, tearing into his mind.  He shrank from the invading presence and found himself a prisoner of the agony that was molding his body into something new and terrifying.   He tried to scream, but he was cut off from the rest of the world, shut off from his own body, which was now under the control of something malevolent.  All he had was the pain…

*    *    *

The creature gave a roar of triumph.  The barrier was down!  At last it was free to take flesh and satisfy its craving for death!

It had been alarmed earlier when it had sensed the female who smelled of the power that had birthed it, but also had the same powers of the one who had trapped it so long ago.  This unknown girl with sorceress powers could be the only one able to hurt it at this vulnerable stage.

But she hadn't done anything to it, though she obviously had sensed it.  That was a very foolish move.  Now it was free of its confines, free to roam the night and hunt and kill the female with its powerful form!

The creature swelled outward, forcing its puny host's body to change with it.  The pitiful host fought the change, but was soon incapacitated by the pain.  When it had finished, it raised its jaws in a howl that rocked the room around it.

*    *    *

_Where was everyone?_ Rinoa wondered as she raced down the dormitory corridor.  They couldn't all be at the festival, could they?  Except for the eerie cries that echoed down the hall, no one was around to make a sound.  Were they too frightened to face whatever was making the noise?

_Squall… Please be okay,_ Rinoa willed as she picked  up the pace, her hurried steps echoing around her.  A chill went down Rinoa's spine.

She felt as if she were being watched.  She could almost feel those smoldering eyes, burning holes in the back of her neck.  Where was everyone?  

She should turn around right now and find someone to come with her.  She didn't know what was going on, but it was likely to be dangerous.  She needed help.

But what if Squall was hurt?  Dying?  What if, in the time it took for her to retrieve help, he died?  She wouldn't be able to live with herself if Squall was lost because she was frightened.  She was a sorceress; she should be able to handle anything!

Rinoa paused to cast a Protect on herself, and a Shell just in case.  She readied a powerful offensive spell, the words to activate it on the tip of her tongue.  Hesitantly, she began to walk towards Squall's room, this time keeping her steps silent.

She couldn't contain the gasp that slipped from her mouth as she caught sight of Squall's door.  The sliding panel had been pushed outwards, its edges ripped and bent.  Inside Squall's room, it looked as if someone had unleashed a Tornado:  furniture was laying splintered, papers were scattered around… and Squall's gunblade, the weapon he was so proud of, had been snapped in two and carelessly tossed aside.

Rinoa's fear intensified as she found Squall's clothes.  His jacket lay untouched across his chair, but his shirt and pants lay in a tattered heap on the floor.  There was no blood anywhere she could see, but there were long gouges in the tile floor that resembled claw marks.  Big claw marks.

Rinoa was ready to fetch help now.  Whatever had done this was too powerful to face on her own.  She turned and cautiously went out the door, fighting down the panicked urge to run, run, run!

Her heart was beating rapidly and her blood roared in her ears.  What had happened to Squall?  What evil force was loose in Garden?  Could it be stopped?

So lost in thought was she that Rinoa almost didn't hear the skittering of claws on tile.  She stepped up her pace, on the verge of running down the dark corridor.  She was barely able to keep herself from sprinting; the noise was echoing strangely down the empty hall and she couldn't be sure where the monster was.  It could be ahead of her and she could run right into it…

The beast seemed to appear out of nowhere.  One moment, Rinoa was alone in a pool of shadow, the next, a pair of burning eyes opened in front of her and a monstrous shape reared up out of the darkness.  Rinoa barely had the chance to glimpse a demonic dog-like head before the creature slammed in to her, its claws digging into her left shoulder.  She hadn't even had time to snap off a spell before the breath was knocked out of her and she was left helpless.

Through a haze of pain, Rinoa realized distantly_ My Protect isn't working… It got through my spell!_  What was this creature?

It seemed content for the moment to hold her pinned beneath it, its monstrous jaws with their slavering teeth just inches from her face.  She nearly choked at the overwhelming fetid odor of its breath.

She had to escape.  No one in Garden knew about the creature!  She doubted her screams would pierce the party music, which meant she was entirely on her own.  Under the creature's body, she tensed, then suddenly pushed her body forward and twisted to the left, trying to break its grip.

A searing pain ripped from her shoulder, across her breasts, and down her right side as she spun in the monster's grasp.  The creature's claws had torn through her, instead of letting go!

Blood dripped down her torso, soaking her torn clothes and staining the marble below her.  She tried to get to her feet, but the shock of being ripped from shoulder to thigh was too much and she fell forward.  She bit her lip in an effort to keep from screaming.

_Keep your head!  Attack it!_ her instincts screamed.

_But I hurt far too much…_ she thought, watching the creature advance towards her, an almost bemused look on its lupine face.  It was coming slowly, realizing its prey was too helpless to put up a fight.

As it neared, it crossed a patch of moonlight that sharply illuminated its features… and brought Rinoa's attention to a glint of metal at the creature's throat.

_Squall's Griever pendant…_ Her eyes met the creature's, and now she could see its face was marred by a familiar scar.  _Great Hyne… It's Squall!_

The creature bared its fangs in a deadly smile as it leaned forward for the killing blow.

To Be Continued…


	2. The Kill

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS Commons KVCC 2 101 2001-11-06T14:27:00Z 2001-11-06T14:27:00Z 8 2488 14185 KVCC 118 28 17420 9.2720 

Disclaimer:  As I've said many times, and will continue to say, I don't own any of these characters.

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS

Part Two

The Kill

Rinoa opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.  _This is it,_ she thought.  _Please, Squall, just make it quick!_

A high-pitched bark drew the creature's attention.  The beast turned its head as Angelo sprang out of the shadows.  The dog placed his body between the monster and his mistress, teeth bared in a pitiful imitation of the wolf-creature's own deadly smile.

"Angelo," Rinoa choked out.  The dog tensed as he came to attention, awaiting his mistress's command.  "Invincible Moon," Rinoa whispered.

The dog sprang into the air just as the monster's paw swiped the place where he had been.  The small GF cast the spell over Rinoa, whose form shimmered as the spell wrapped her in its protective embrace.  _If only the creature can't strike through it – it has Squall's junctioning, and he's almost impervious to magic!_

The beast slashed at her, but its claws slid through her as if she weren't there.  The creature bellowed in frustration, then turned its attention to Angelo.

"Angelo!" Rinoa commanded.  "Search! Find help!"  The dog whirled and ran down the hallway, and the creature's gaze darted between Rinoa and Angelo's retreating form.  

It chose Rinoa.  It must have realized the spell wouldn't last forever.  If only help could get here in time…

*    *    *

The creature was pleased.  The dog that wasn't a dog had done something to its intended victim, but it was already fading.  The scent of blood from the sorceress's incorporeal body intensified as the spell's potency faded.  The sorceress tried weakly to pull her torn body away, but her arms lost their strength and her upper torso fell heavily to the floor as the spell wavered and vanished.

Now.  Now it could attack and destroy this woman of power before she could find a way to destroy it!

The creature tensed its body, preparing to lunge forward, when its sensitive ears picked up the sounds of a great many footsteps heading its way.

"What the hell is that?" a voice cried.  The creature whirled, teeth bared and claws spread.

"I don't know, but it's dead!" another voice answered.  The second speaker raised a gleaming silver rifle and fired.

The creature moved, but the bullet caught it in the shoulder, blowing away chunks of flesh.  Pain!  These weren't normal bullets!

It dodged again as the man shot another round, but there was only so far it could run in the narrow hallway.  And every one of the people gathered in the hall was armed with weapons and, it scented, magic.

Staying wouldn't be a good idea, it realized.  Though it doubted they could hurt it seriously enough to kill it, there were enough humans that it would be very inconvenienced.

Besides, it preferred to hunt solitary prey, and taking on this many people at once didn't appeal to it.

With a cry, it leaped through the window to its left, taking another bullet in the side in the process.  It hit the ground, rolled, then sprang to its feet and shook the glass from its fur before plunging forward amidst a hail of bullets and hastily cast spells.

It opened its jaws in a mournful howl before vanishing completely into the night.

*    *    *

Zell carefully scooped Rinoa in his arms.  Blood spattered against him, coating his arms, but he paid it no heed.  Quistis had cast a Curaga on Rinoa as soon as the monster was out of sight, but her flesh was still torn and ragged, with blood sluggishly pouring out, draining Rinoa's life away.  They had to get her to Dr. Kadowaki, and fast.

"I can't find Squall anywhere," Irvine said dully, coming up behind him.  "His room is a disaster.  I think the creature got him," he concluded dully.

Zell couldn't suppress the sad moan that escaped his lips.  "Dammit," he breathed.

"No…" a voice whimpered faintly.  "Squall…" Zell started; he hadn't realized Rinoa was awake.

"Shh…" Zell said soothingly.  "I'm sure we'll find him."  Irvine, out of Rinoa's sight, gave a hopeless shrug.

They had volunteered to stay behind at Balamb Garden while most of the SeeDs went out in teams to find the creature.  Someone needed to be here in case the creature came back to finish Rinoa.

They took Rinoa to Dr. Kadowaki, who pursed her lips but said nothing.  She directed them to set the girl on an operating table, then ordered them to stand by the door, where they remained until dawn.

*    *    *

The light!  The sun!  It had forgotten about the hated enemy that burned its skin and blinded it.  It should have been impossible that anything could harm it!  Even the wounds in its body had vanished.  And yet the sun hurt it in a way nothing else had, and it was forced to retreat into its host's mind, and around it, the body shrank to its former pathetic shape.

But this would not last.  Tonight, and every night after, it would strike until it had feasted upon the still-beating hearts of every living being in that building.  It had learned patience during its imprisonment, and it knew it would be rewarded in the end.

*    *    *

Squall lay huddled in a fetal position, ignoring the chill on his bare skin.

_Hyne… What have I done?  Rinoa…_  He remembered it, all of it.  He remembered the feel of claws through flesh, the intoxicating scent of warm blood…

And a joy bordering on orgasmic at the thought of sinking his jaws into Rinoa's quivering body, tearing her heart out and leisurely feasting upon her remains.  It horrified him beyond belief, it sickened him, and yet, a part of him would give anything to finish what he had started.  He found himself licking Rinoa's cold blood from his fingers and stopped himself, disgusted at what he'd become.

He couldn't go back.  Ever.  Not as long as his body was possessed by this monstrosity.  He was scared of what he would do.  And he knew he was too weak to stop himself.

He didn't _want_ to stop himself…

So Squall huddled in the small crevice he'd wedged himself into, hoping it would all end.

*    *    *

"Any luck?"  Zell asked Quistis when she returned that morning, trailed by a dozen weary SeeDs.

"Nothing," Quistis sighed.  "Any sign of Squall?"  Zell shook his head, and Quistis slumped.  "How's Rinoa?"

"She's lost a lot of blood, but she'll make it, Dr. Kadowaki says.  But," now Zell hesitated, "she's torn up.  Badly.  Dr. Kadowaki had do to some reconstructive surgery, but she's going to have the most awful scars..."

"Is she awake?"

"No.  Thank Hyne."  Zell wearily leaned back against the wall.  "What are we going to tell her about Squall?"

"We haven't found anything except his ripped clothes.  He could still be alive.  We won't tell her anything until we know the truth," Quistis said.  "We don't want to alarm her."

"Do you honestly believe he's still alive?" Zell demanded.  Quistis shut her eyes and shook her head sadly.  "What the hell was it?  Irvine hit it twice and it didn't even slow down!  It's not natural!"

"Whatever it was, it's dangerous, and it could return.  We have to keep a look out for it.  I suggest you get some sleep while you still can," Quistis advised.  "I have the feeling we're going to need all our strength to deal with this."

*    *    *

Rinoa slowly swam into consciousness.  She hurt!  The pain nearly sent her back into a catatonic state, but she refused to submit.  She had to tell someone what she knew about the creature!

_Squall...  What's happened to you?  _She moaned and tried to move.

"Stay still, Rinoa, or you might bust a stitch," a voice said quietly.  Since moving hurt, Rinoa obeyed.  She opened her mouth and tired to speak, but all that came out was a gurgling moan.

Dr. Kadowaki came into view.  The older woman's expression was sympathetic as she checked Rinoa's bandages.  "I'm surprised you're awake already," the woman said.  "You were hurt quite badly."

Rinoa followed her gaze, and saw her exposed body was bound in bandages across her chest and along on side, down to her knee.  Her gaze finally came to rest on her chest, which seemed peculiarly flat.

Dr. Kadowaki saw where she was looking and shook her head sadly.  "You lost a lot of flesh there.  I'm no plastic surgeon, but I did what I could.  I'll call in a specialist from Esthar who can probably restore you, if you'd like.  But it could take time before I can find one available."

This didn't matter to Rinoa.  She had bigger concerns than her new bra size.  "Squall," she tried, the name barely coherent.  _Damn, she must have me drugged!_  "Monster," she continued thickly.

Dr. Kadowaki's face went still.  "I'm sure Squall's fine," she said neutrally.  "Why don't you get some rest?"

Rinoa frowned.  Why wouldn't anyone listen?  But she obeyed the doctor, shutting her eyes in an effort to get to sleep.

The creature was there, waiting.  The fiery aura that had haunted Squall once again prowled the edge of her senses, just out of touch with reality.  But there was a feel to it that it had lacked before, a satisfaction that made Rinoa sick to her stomach.  _It will be back tonight,_ she realized with dread.   And she didn't have the strength to stop it.

*    *    *

There was an air of tension around Garden that day.  The students were unusually subdued in class, and it wasn't because they'd partied too hard the previous night.  The exhausted SeeDs slept in shifts as they kept an eye out for the beast, while others patrolled outside for signs of it.

Rinoa slept the day away, gathering strength for the coming night.  Her body ached and felt like it would rip open at the slightest movement, but she knew she had to be ready tonight, when Squall returned.

And so the day passed, with the headmaster debating if he should evacuate the Garden, and Quistis and Xu plotting the best way to deploy the SeeDs that night.

Something was going to happen that night.  Everyone could sense it.  But no one was certain they could do anything about it.

*    *    *

Squall watched the sun sink over the horizon, feeling his heart sink with it.  He quivered, with fear or eagerness he couldn't tell, and braced himself for the change.

It started as a scream that tore itself from his lungs, and he dropped to the ground as the agony rippled through his body.  This time, he didn't resist as the beast inside him forced his body into that unnatural shape.  He almost welcomed the feeling of power that came with the pain, and the pleasure that accompanied the razor sharp claws and bristling fangs.

He let the beast take over, knowing it would provide him with what he most craved.

The beast would kill tonight.  This time, nothing would stand in its way.

*    *    *

Rinoa jolted awake.  Night had fallen, and she had felt Squall's change again, though something about it had felt different.

_He'd welcomed it... Don't give in to the beast, Squall!  Control it!_  He couldn't hear her, she knew.  It was up to her to stop him.

Dr. Kadowaki was nowhere in sight, much to Rinoa's relief.  She knew the woman would try to stop what Rinoa knew had to be done.

With great difficulty, she levered herself out of bed.  The flimsy hospital gown fluttered against her, and she knew she would have to find something else to wear.  She had time; Squall had felt distant in her mind.  She doubted he'd make it here until close to dawn, which was very good.

She moved stiffly out of the infirmary, ignoring the waves of pain every step sent through her body.   She headed towards her room, using spells to ensure that no on saw her.  She couldn't afford to be caught.  Once in her room, she carefully pulled on a pair of baggy black pants and a red silk blouse, which her trembling fingers couldn't button all the way.

Red and black.  The colors of vengeance and death.  She hoped this night would call for neither.

*    *    *

Nida swore as his knee knocked into the railing of one of the main lobby's low bridges.  He wished it weren't so dark; how were they supposed to see the damned creature if it was pitch black?

He couldn't even see the rest of his team!  His teammates said he just had bad night vision, but still...  He could faintly hear them if he strained his ears.  Like him, they were trying to keep quiet and out of sight as they patrolled the lobby.

_It's not coming,_ he thought flatly.  There was an hour until dawn, and still the beast had not shown itself.   Garden was getting alarmed over nothing.  He'd heard Rinoa had been badly hurt, but why did that make everyone so jumpy?  The woman had a habit of exaggerating, anyway.   Why did they even keep her at Garden?

There was a soft splashing noise to his left.  Nida froze, his eyes trying to pierce the darkness.  Should he sound the alert?  There shouldn't be anything in the fountain to make a noise-

Nida barely managed to scream as claws sank into his backside.  Then, with a gurgling noise, Nida's scream was cut off.

*    *    *

"Lights on!"  Xu's cry echoed through the lobby.  She'd heard Nida's scream and had snapped out the order before his cry had ended.  Dammit, it wasn't that dark, they should have seen it!

The lobby was abruptly flooded with light.  All teams on Garden's first floor were flocking to the lobby. 

There was a round of gasps as everyone got their first look at the creature.  It stood on its hind legs, well over six feet tall, with a wolfish head covered in a shaggy mane of golden brown fur.  It held Nida in its front claws, shielding its body with his.  Xu held up her hand to halt any firing.  She didn't want Nida injured in their efforts to slay the beast.

When the creature shifted position, she realized that was a moot point.  It held something it its jaws, and gore and bone shards stuck to its muzzle.  The monster threw back its head and swallowed the blood-red object, its eyes locked on Xu's all the while.  It then cast Nida's body aside, and Xu could see the gaping hole in his chest where his heart had been torn out.  Nida's body landed near the group, and Xu's eyes were drawn to his blood-flecked lips and glazed, empty eyes.  She fought down the urge to retch and tore her eyes away, meeting instead the wolf creature's sinister gaze.

It was smiling at her, she realized, with teeth dyed by Nida's blood.  It tensed its body in preparation to spring.

It was coming after her...

"Attack!" she screamed to the handful of SeeDs gathered around her.  Guns were fired by those who had them, magic was used by those who didn't.  All to no effect, Xu thought grimly.  The creature seemed to brush off the bullets and absorb the magic as if they were nothing!

"Shit," Xu hissed.  "Find Irvine!  He hurt it last night!"  Not that anyone could guess by looking at the beast's unmarked hide.

The beast sprang, knocking into Xu.  She'd been in motion at the time of the leap and was sent flying, but she wasn't in the creatures clutches, at least.  It snapped angrily at her heels, but Xu rolled away.

The creature gave a sharp bark as a bullet tore into its ear, tearing away a hunk of flesh.  Its burning red eyes scanned the crowd for the one responsible.  Then it grinned and prepared for another leap.

"Squall!  Stop!"  A voice rang through the lobby.  The creature froze, its eyes flashing blue.

Rinoa limped forward, forcing her way through the gathered SeeDs.

"Squall, please!  Fight it!" Rinoa pleaded.  She held herself up with her last vestiges of strength, her body trembling with effort.  Blood soaked the bandages visible beneath her blouse where stitches had been torn.  "This isn't you!  Fight it!"  
  


The SeeDs were stunned.  Without removing their eyes from the beast, the SeeDs began to mutter among themselves.  "What is she talking about?" "She's hurt - not thinking straight."  "Rinoa, you shouldn't be here."

"I'll prove it," Rinoa whispered.  The beast recovered its senses and turned to face Rinoa, its ears flattened in anger.  Rinoa lifted her hands above her head, and a bolt of lightning shot up from her fingers, striking a light fixture on the ceiling and freeing it.  The beast leapt towards Rinoa, who didn't move.

Seconds before its claws could sweep down on her, the light fixture landed, pinning the creature under it.  It bellowed and struggled to break free, but the metal was too heavy.

The SeeDs gathered around, ready to attack, but Rinoa held up a quivering hand.  "Just wait," she whispered.  "You'll see."

There was nothing else the SeeDs could do.  They gathered in a growing knot as more teams came in to reinforce the others.  Nida's grisly body was taken away by a couple of people who weren't riveted by the sight of the struggling creature.

They waited forty minutes, a tense span of time when all feared the nearly indestructible beast would tear free.  Then the sky lightened.  Rinoa hadn't moved, despite the newly arrived Quistis's insistence she return to the infirmary.  

With an anguished cry, the beast suddenly seemed to shrink.  Fur faded away, and the sharp muzzle and ears retracted.  In a matter of moments, the head and shoulders of SeeD's commander was revealed to them.

As the horrified gasps filled the lobby, Rinoa slumped forward in an unconscious heap.

To be continued...

Up next:  The origins of the beast.


	3. The Origin

Disclaimer:  I still don't own any of the FF8 characters.

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS

Part Three

The Origin

Squall was standing with his hands wrapped around the cell bars, his head pressed between the iron bars.  The empty look in his blue eyes frightened Quistis.

"Squall? What's wrong with you?" she asked.  She stood tense, ready for action in case he did something, though he hadn't done anything since he'd been pulled free of the light fixture.  

He shut his eyes and sighed, his grip on the bars tightening.  He looked harmless, Quistis thought, eying his pale face and the loose grey uniform that had been found for him.  But she'd seen Rinoa's wounds, and Nida's body.  Squall was anything but harmless.

"I… don't know," Squall whispered his first words since they'd brought him here.  "How's Rinoa?"

"She's hurt, Squall.  She's been slashed to the bone and she'll carry the scars for the rest of her life.  The mental ones as well as the physical, I'd bet."  Quistis wished he'd look at her so she could guess what he was feeling.  He wasn't giving anything away.

"And… Nida?" Here, Squall's voice faltered.

"Dead," Quistis said flatly.

"Damn," Squall whispered.  "I couldn't help it… It made me do it… I was too weak to stop it…"

"Stop what?" Quistis was suddenly alert.

"Something inside of me, inside my mind.  It wants to kill."  Squall's voice was suddenly flat.  "It's still here.  It wants me to kill you now."  He reached a hand towards her, and Quistis backed away.  _This is frightening!_  "But it's weaker during the day.  I can control it now.  When I want to."

Quistis didn't like the sound of that.  She glanced around nervously, waiting for Zell and Irvine to join her.  She suddenly didn't want to be alone with their commander.

A predatory smile played about Squall's lips as he noticed her nervousness, and his eyes gleamed.  There was a hint of that unnatural crimson radiance in his pupils' depths.  _Dammit Irvine, Zell, where are you?_

"Do you know why it's inside of you?" Quistis asked, barely keeping the tremor from her voice.

Now his expression was one of genuine puzzlement.  "I don't know.  I can't remember!"  He released the bars and began to pace the small cell like the proverbial caged wolf.  "Damn GFs!  Why can't I remember?"

The sound of footsteps halted Squall as Zell and Irvine approached.  "Sorry we're late," Irvine said sheepishly.

Quistis pulled them aside.  "Don't let anything he says get to you.  And do NOT, under ANY circumstances, release him."

"Where are you going?" Zell asked.  "I thought you were staying with us!"

"Squall says he doesn't know why he's like this.  I'm going to summon Ellone.  She and Laguna should be informed anyway."

It wasn't a job she looked forward to.

*    *    *

It was a grim group that gathered in Headmaster Cid's office several hours later.  Xu, Quistis, Selphie, Zell, Irvine, and Edea had all gathered to discuss this horrifying crisis.

"He's a werewolf," Irvine stated.  He looked slightly on edge; Squall's sinister demeanor had made him nervous.  "Does anyone have any idea where I can find some silver bullets?  Those always work in the movies."

"We want to cure him, not kill him," Zell pointed out.

"Besides, I doubt Squall's a movie werewolf," Quistis snorted.  "For one thing, his necklace is silver and it doesn't seem to hurt him.  And the moon wasn't even full last night.  Obviously, you can't rely on films.  I didn't even know you were into that sort of thing."

"Selphie makes me watch old horror films with her," Irvine said defensively.

"Anyway," Xu interrupted, "we need to find a cure for him."

"It would help if we knew the cause," Edea answered.  "There is magic behind this, but what kind?  I've never seen anything like this.  And how did it happen?"

"I say it was Ultimecia," Zell said.  "The bitch knew she was gonna die, so she cursed Squall as payback."

"Watch your language, Zell," Edea said automatically.  "When is Ellone due to arrive?"

"Tomorrow," Quistis answered.  "Just her – Laguna can't make it.  She'll probably come with an armed escort, though.  They're taking no chances."

"So we have to deal with the wolf-thing tonight?" Selphie asked worriedly.  "What if he escapes?  We couldn't even hurt it before."

"That's not true - Irvine's bullets injured it, though it did heal," Xu pointed out.

"It's because they're infused with magic," Quistis said suddenly.  "I think the creature may be vulnerable to magic."

"What?" Zell said.  "We hit that thing with magic-"

"Weak magic," Quistis answered, "the kind that can be absorbed by strong junctioning."

The all fell silent as they absorbed this.  "Yes… Squall's junctioning is the most powerful in Garden," Irvine said.  "So we just need to remove his Guardian Forces-"

"I already did," Quistis said.  "Right before this meeting.  That's why I guessed magic hurts it.  Squall seemed insistent that I take his magic away…" she trailed off, her voice soft.  "He doesn't mean to hurt anyone.  This… thing is taking him over."

"My poor boy," Edea whispered.  "How is Rinoa?  I have the feeling that if a sorceress is responsible for this, we'll need a sorceress to cure him."   Her face looked wistful as she remembered the power lost to her, and Cid patted her arm reassuringly.

"There's nothing we can do until Ellone arrives," Cid said.  "I want Squall heavily guarded tonight, and maybe we can end this tomorrow," he concluded wearily.

*    *    *

For the first time since it had fought its way free of the confining barrier, it knew fear.  Its host was resisting it again, more strongly this time.  Causing the death of a companion had horrified the host beyond anything the pleasure could soothe.

And the host had figured out its weakness and removed the protections that had made it virtually invulnerable.  Before, only those magical bullets had caused it any real pain, and the wounds had healed more slowly.  Now, without the magic, the creature could be killed!  Now, its only advantage was that, if the humans killed it, they would be killing its host as well.

For now, it was safe.  But how long would it take for the humans to realize that killing it would be the only way to stop it?

*    *    *

She'd had to come see him.  The pain was overwhelming, and she longed to curl up on her hospital be and sleep it away, but Rinoa had to see Squall.  Her pain was nothing compared to the inner turmoil he must be feeling.

So she'd nagged Dr. Kadowaki until the woman reluctantly agreed, but only if she stayed in a wheelchair so she wouldn't tear open her wounds again.  And Quistis stood guard beside her, ready to pull the injured woman out of danger if needed.

Rinoa had never seen Squall look so… defeated.  He was sitting on the cell's bench bed, legs drawn up to his chest, and staring dully at the back wall.  His shoulders were slumped, and occasional shudders wracked his body as though he were sobbing, though Rinoa could see no tears.

"Squall?" she called weakly.  Squall stiffened and angled his head to look at her.

"Rinoa?"  He smoothly shifted out of his position with that predatory grace he'd always had.  "You're all right?"  There was a desperate note to his voice, and that desolate expression on his face nearly brought tears to Rinoa's eyes.  "Thank Hyne…" he whispered.

"I've been better, but I'll recover," Rinoa said, wheeling the chair closer to the bars.  Quistis looked ready to protest, but said nothing.

Squall reached a hand through the bars, tugging at the collar of her shirt until the bandage on her left shoulder was revealed.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's not you," Rinoa said, taking his hand in both of hers.  She hoped he didn't notice her trembling.  "You didn't do this.  That creature in your mind did."

"You can sense it."  It wasn't a question.

"Yes.  I can't describe it.  It's like… an aura, maybe, of pure evil.  You have no idea where it came from?"  Squall shook his head.  "Ellone will be here tomorrow.  She'll help us find the cause.  And hopefully, that will lead to a cure."

"Sis," he whispered.  "I don't want her here to see me this way."

"It's the only way," Rinoa said.  "It'll be all right.  You'll see."

"Rinoa," Quistis interrupted.  "Time's up.  I need to take you back.  It's almost sundown."

"That's right," Squall said.  "And I don't want you here when darkness falls."

*    *    *

The change came almost automatically now.   The flesh had long possessed the ability to change, but it had been suppressed.  Now that the host's body had relearned how to transform, it wouldn't soon forget.  

The host gasped and moaned with the pain that would always accompany the change, and thrashed his limbs.  The three humans, luscious morsels that should be prey, backed away from the bars, their eyes wide and riveted on the host. 

The beast snarled at the watchers in frustration.  It paced the cell, senses alert for any weak spot.  Then it sat on its haunches, doglike, with its tail brushing the floor in a lazy arc that was more like a cat's movements.  It wouldn't waste its energy raging uselessly at the solid bars.

It had found a weak spot in the cell wall and, while it would take time, it was confident it could break through.  It waited for the human watchers to become bored and distracted with a card game before it began to work at that weakness…

*    *    *

Ellone arrived early the next morning, surprisingly without an escort.  She greeted the Kramers warmly, and hugged all of her younger "siblings" before turning to the task at hand.

A weary Squall greeted her.  His grey uniform was wrinkled from having been hastily pulled off and deposited in a corner before his transformation.  His face was pale, and there were dark rings around his eyes from lack of sleep.

Ellone went straight to the bars.  "Hello, Squall," she said.

"Hey, sis," he said.  "You've come to find the origins of the beast?"

"Yes," she answered, staring at Squall sympathetically.  Clearly, she didn't believe he was a monster.

She'd learn otherwise…

"Let's get on with it," Squall said, making himself comfortable on his narrow bed.  Ellone settled in a chair placed well out of his reach beyond the bars.

"We'll try the fight with Ultimecia first," Ellone said.  Squall shut his eyes and was suddenly left breathless by the force of Ellone's gift._   She's been practicing…_  He would have fallen, but he was suddenly transported elsewhere.

He was in his own body, standing before the dying Ultimecia, with Rinoa and Irvine standing to either side.  With Ellone's assistance, he relived the final moments, and the seemingly infinite time he spent lost in the time compression.

_Nothing here,_ Ellone said into his mind.

_I could have told you that.  I still remember all of this!_

Next, she took him to Adel's defeat.  Again there was nothing.  So she brought him through his various encounters with the possessed Edea, and even his fights with Seifer.

_Nothing!_ Squall growled irritably.  _It must be from something else, something important that I can't remember!_

_Like your youth?_ Ellone said thoughtfully.  _Perhaps the curse was placed on you some time ago, but only now activated._

_But why?  Who would set a curse on a child that could have amounted to nothing?  _Squall challenged.

_Hold on… you're going into Matron's body now._

Suddenly, Squall was in the orphanage, surveying a group of young children happily playing around him.  With the exception of an arrogant blond boy and a sullen dark-haired boy.

_This is difficult…_  Squall could hear the strain in Ellone's mind voice.  Making so many jumps was wearing her out.

Ellone, through Squall's mind, lightly brushed Edea's memories.  _Wait a minute…_ she breathed, then moved him again.

Now he stood, still as Edea, with a small woman clinging to an infant.  There were tears in the woman's wide blue eyes as she tenderly kissed the child.

"I don't want to give him up," the woman choked out, "but if you can cure him, it's all for the best."

_It's Raine, _Ellone whispered.  _But… she died after you were born!  Why is she here?_

Edea took the baby.  "I'll do all I can, Raine, but I can't guarantee anything."

"You're a sorceress!"  Raine cried desperately.  "One of your kind did this to us!  If anyone can heal him…"

_Us?_ Squall repeated.

"We're all different," Edea said sadly.  "I'll give Squall the best chance he can get.  But what about you?"

"There's no hope for me," Raine whispered.  "I have another child I take care of that I'm sending to you – a girl with incredible abilities.  I would like you to take care of her, as well.  Adel may still try to use them, and I think it's best if I was out of their lives.  I couldn't protect them before…"

_Oh, Raine, _Ellone said sadly, as the woman walked away slowly, pausing only once to look back at the son she was leaving behind.

_Last jump, _Ellone said grimly.  _I think I know what to look for now._

Once again, Squall was yanked out of reality.  _Here!_ Ellone said triumphantly, and suddenly Squall was kneeling on the ground before a towering figure.

"Where is he?"  The voice, low and feminine, was familiar.  Because his host was staring at the ground, he couldn't see the speaker, but he knew that voice.

_Adel!_

Squall's host shifted her body, which felt strangely heavy and awkward.  "I don't know where he is," his host spoke for the first time.  "And if I did, I wouldn't tell you where he or Ellone are."

_I'm in Raine, _Squall realized.

_Yes, _Ellone said.

_And she's pregnant._

"I figured you wouldn't," Adel said venomously.  "That's why I summoned you out of bed just before dawn… So I could give you a demonstration."  Adel held her hand on Raine's forehead, and suddenly the woman couldn't move.  "With the sun almost up, this will only last a few moments.  But it should be enough."

Suddenly, Raine screamed in agony as pain tore through her body, and Squall screamed with her.  Raine's body swelled and her clothing burst as the furry hide grew too large.  Her face lengthened and her ears became sharply pointed and moved to the top of her head.  She tried to scream again, but could only manage an echoing howl.

Then the sun peeked over the horizon and suddenly, horribly, Raine was forced to reverse the transformation.  She lay naked, gasping, her arms shielding her body from Adel.

"Impressive, wasn't it?  If you don't tell me where Laguna has taken Ellone, I'll leave you to the curse.  Every night, that form will be yours."

Raine just stared helplessly.  She didn't know where Laguna was!  "My child," she whispered.

Adel snorted.  "Yes, it would have been cursed too.  Poor thing," she said with a smirk.  "So for your child's sake, I suggest you have that location for me before dusk.  I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow night."  With that, Adel vanished.

_One more jump.  I want to see what happened here, _Ellone said.  Her voice was shocked, edged by weariness.

Squall found he couldn't speak at all.

He was Raine again, and was leaving the house, passing a calendar on the way out.  _May 19th, _Ellone said.  _Oh, no…_

Raine made her way to the meeting spot and waited for Adel.  And wondered what she was going to tell the woman.  She didn't know where Laguna was!  And if she did, she wouldn't betray him!  Or would she, to save her child?  She waited tensely for the sorceress.

As the sun sank, Raine realized dully the woman wasn't coming.  "No," she moaned, her hand on her belly.  "Please…"

_Laguna sprang his trap on the 19th.  Adel couldn't come because she'd been sealed away, _Ellone said dully.  _Let's go, before she transforms.  I can't watch…_

Squall still couldn't find his voice as Ellone took him back to his own body.

*    *    *

It didn't like this female that tore its host from his body and cast him – and itself with him – back into other, weaker bodies.  She left it feeling vulnerable, and it hated that.  How could it kill without a body?

Or… could it?  From its position as passenger, it could see how the female's powers worked.  Perhaps it could use that somehow…

She was very tired, and this left her mind exposed.  Plus, she was linked to the host.  The creature would have laughed if it could.  It had the means to destroy her without leaving its prison!

It mentally reached for her, snaring her exhausted mind with its own.  It felt her gasp, and the host began to fight it as he realized what it was doing.  The creature ignored it, and threw the female back into that moment before it had killed, into that body stiff with fear.

The female screamed as she felt the pain of jaws tearing into her chest as if the agony were her own.  It felt the mind began to fade as the shared pain began to kill her, as it had killed the victim.

And all the host could do was watch helplessly as another person he cared for died.

To Be Continued…

I apologize if my use of Ellone's gift seems odd and inaccurate.  But I have no idea how she seems to find places and times she's never been to, so I had to guess.


	4. The Triumph

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.  
  
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS  
  
Part Four  
  
The Triumph  
  
When Ellone loosed a gurgling scream and clutched at her chest, the SeeDs who had been standing guard sprang into action. But they couldn't figure out what was wrong; the girl was thrashing in her chair, moaning in pain, blood dripping from her lips, while Squall sat on his bed, his body twitching but otherwise still.  
  
"What the hell?" Zell hissed. He took Ellone in his arms, searching her body for whatever was hurting her. "It's her gift! Something must have gone wrong!" He turned to one of the SeeDs behind him. "Quick! Bring Dr. Kadowaki!"  
  
"Why is she bleeding?" the other young SeeD Zell had been partnered with asked.  
  
"I don't know! C'mon, Elle, snap out of it!"  
  
"What's wrong with the commander?"  
  
Zell turned to Squall and frowned. Squall had put his hands to his temples and was moaning. His glazed eyes spared with red in their depths.  
  
Zell sat Ellone gently on the floor, then reached through the bars and used a Thunder on Squall. The commander cried out, then seemed to jerk awake. Behind Zell, Ellone's moaning stopped. Her eyes fluttered open, and her breathing slowed from harsh rasps to something closer to normal. Tears drenched her cheeks.  
  
She met Zell's eyes, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly as she struggled to speak. Then her eyes rolled up, and her body fell limp against the floor..  
  
* * *  
  
"And that's why Squall is like this," Ellone concluded softly. It was several hours later, and the girl had barely recovered her strength. Her hands still trembled as she took a drink of water.  
  
Once again, Squall's closest friends had gathered in the headmaster's office, this time with Rinoa in attendance as well.  
  
Rinoa turned to Edea. "I don't understand - how did you stop Squall's curse before? And why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"Because I can't remember," the older woman said miserably. "I've worked with Guardian Forces as well; I can't recall Raine giving me Squall. All I know is what Ellone told me later about Raine's death.  
  
"Can you help me make a similar barrier?" Rinoa asked hopefully.  
  
"I couldn't begin to guess how," Edea said softly. "I don't know how Adel could have done this or how it can be contained. And the barrier was broken once; it could be broken again."  
  
"We have to stop it," Ellone said. "It's powerful. I've never had anything use my gift against me before. And I never want anyone to suffer like Nida again."  
  
Ellone wouldn't say more on her near death experience. It had shaken her to see the man she thought of as a younger brother in this condition. Squall had killed Nida. Ellone didn't think she'd ever look at Squall the same way again. And how must poor Rinoa feel? The young woman was pale and expressionless, her voice toneless when she spoke.  
  
"It would help if we had Raine," Edea said quietly. "She was the curse's target; she may be useful."  
  
"Is she still alive?" Ellone's face lost its desolate look. Edea shrugged helplessly.  
  
"I haven't heard anything from her, that I know of," Edea said sadly. "We must assume the worst."  
  
"It could take months to analyze the spell Adel used," Rinoa said dully. "Assuming it can be broken."  
  
"Perhaps we should find a way to just contain the thing inside Squall for now," Edea said. "At least, until we find a more permanent cure. We can't take the chance that Squall can escape. We know what will happen then."  
  
No one had anything to say to that.  
  
* * *  
  
Rinoa fretted in her hospital bed until Dr. Kadowaki agreed to bring Edea to speak with her. Rinoa was supposed to be resting, but she had an idea and wanted to share it with the former sorceress as soon as possible. Squall needed her, and she wasn't helping him by sleeping.  
  
"What is it?" Edea asked, taking a seat next to Rinoa's bed.  
  
"I was trying to think of a way to contain Squall's violent urges, and I was wondering if gemstones could do the job."  
  
"Gems?" Edea arched her brows. "Certain kinds have been known to hold magic."  
  
"Yes! Like the Ultima or Aura Stones! Maybe we - well, I - can use some of the stones to create a barrier. Quistis said it's vulnerable to magic, so perhaps I can create a magical field using stones to keep the beast in place."  
  
Edea nodded thoughtfully. "Setting spells on stones would save the effort of finding a way to set one on a human. And the beast may not be able to break free from an external barrier."  
  
Rinoa's face fell. "But it could take time. I need to study some of the stones and see how they work. I've never done anything like this before."  
  
"I can offer you some help. I have the experience, if not the power," Edea said.  
  
"Great! Let's get started!" For the first time since the attack, Rinoa actually felt cheerful. She'd help Squall overcome this!  
  
* * *  
  
Squall was trying - and failing - to get some sleep on the narrow bed when Rinoa came to see him. He frowned when he noticed she was alone and on her feet, meaning she must have snuck out of the infirmary. Squall pulled himself off the bed and wearily went to the bars, noticing he was no longer guarded. She must have sent them away. Stupid.  
  
"You shouldn't have come," he hissed.  
  
"Why? It's the afternoon." She reached through the bars and took his hands in hers. "We have an idea how to contain it," she said excitedly.  
  
"Don't tell me about it," Squall snapped.  
  
Rinoa's face fell. "I thought you'd be glad."  
  
"Rinoa, this thing is damned smart. It's not just unfocused killing urges - there's an intelligence behind it. It figured out how to use Ellone's powers against her. And it's been trapping my mind at night so I can't see what it's doing. If you tell me your idea, it may think of a way to defend against it!" He wrapped his hands around Rinoa's, nails digging into her wrists. "Rinoa, I want you to promise me something."  
  
"Anything," she said faintly.  
  
"Don't say that. You may not want to make this promise once you hear it. If your idea doesn't work, I want you to kill me."  
  
"Squall, no!" Rinoa said desperately. Tears filled her eyes.  
  
"I. I don't want to live like this." His nails dug deeper. "I killed Nida. I could kill you, and I have no way of stopping myself. Please," he said plaintively, clinging to her hands so hard he drew blood. "You're the only one powerful enough to do it properly. Kill me if you can't contain the beast. Please!" There was a desperate quaver in his voice, and Rinoa was startled at the sadness in his steel blue eyes.  
  
"I'll do it," she vowed. "You're right. No one should live like this. If my idea doesn't work, I'll destroy you." Her face had gone cold and hard as marble as she limped away.  
  
Squall had never heard that note in her voice before and realized with astonishment that she had meant what she had said.  
  
* * *  
  
Rinoa was working feverishly. She had asked the others to gather different magical stones for her, and was breaking down their spell components to see how they were set in the stones, with Edea's patient guidance. The two now had some ideas for what to do with the stones, and now only needed time to figure out what spells to set.  
  
It was time Rinoa wondered if they had left. Squall had sounded so desperate when she'd last seen him. She had to make this work before it was too late!  
  
* * *  
  
It was patient. While the beast hated being confined, it knew something that the humans who guarded it by night did not: It was almost free.  
  
But it knew the others were up to something, especially the woman of power it had injured. That much it had gathered from her conversation with its increasingly broody host.  
  
It had to get free. It had to destroy her, to take her heart in its mouth and revel in her screams. It would not be contained again!  
  
* * *  
  
"Rinoa, lay down!" Dr. Kadowaki's voice was stern as the young woman gave a frustrated snarl and slammed her fist against the desk, where a collection of multicolored stones glowed softly on the surface. Her hands were shaking with the strain she'd placed herself under these past few days and the last few spells she'd used had gone awry.  
  
But she wouldn't give up! "I can't," Rinoa snapped, her voice tense. "I promised Squall I'd help him!" She picked up a length of black leather, reinforced by metal strips and fitted with sockets for the stones. It was a collar, to be used for keeping the stones on Squall and the beast. It had been designed to fit to his neck tightly, but with releases to make the collar longer in case the transformation itself couldn't be contained, as Edea suspected. While he would likely still assume wolf-form, it was just the killing rage Rinoa wanted to stop for now. Just enough to keep him from hurting others until she could find a true cure.  
  
"Rinoa, you'll do Squall no good if you set the incorrect spells," Dr. Kadowaki said, more gently. "You need to rest. Your body still isn't well enough to take this."  
  
Rinoa sighed and dropped the collar. The doctor was right; there was no way she could continue in her present state. She hobbled from the doctor's desk, which she'd claimed for her workspace, and lay on her bed.  
  
Despite her earlier protests, she fell asleep immediately.  
  
* * *  
  
Tonight! It would be free tonight! It knew just the right time: right after midnight, when the weary prey watching it would be tired and waiting for their relief. Sometimes, they would even fall asleep.  
  
How foolish of them.  
  
It pricked one ear, listening to the gentle snoring of the two people who were failing in their duty. They had been alert the first week or so, but had become complacent when the creature showed little sign of violence. Except for its strange fits when it would ram itself into the wall as if in frustration. They couldn't know that an air vent ran right behind that wall, and that the wall was weakened from its pounding. The walls were very strong, unlike the door to its host's room. The cell was made to contain the full fury of a magical attack. But everything wore down over time, and under its constant barrage, the wall would no longer take the attack.  
  
It was a shame there was no access to the air vent outside the cell; it would dearly love to rip the throats out of these sleeping guards. Maybe it would come back for them later.  
  
As the guard's light snores slipped into something deeper, the creature's mouth curled in a mockery of a smile. Now was the time!  
  
Swiftly, silently, the creature leaped at the wall, ramming its shoulder into the weak section, which cracked and broke inward. Without staying to learn if its negligent guards had heard the noise, it slipped into the air ducts and began to make its way through the Garden.  
  
* * *  
  
Rinoa was jolted awake by a backwash of emotions: Rage, stronger than it had been the past few nights, coupled with a fierce triumph. It could only mean one thing. The creature had broken free!  
  
Rinoa forced her battered body off the bed and went to Dr. Kadowaki's intercom to sound the alert to Quistis, whom she knew had a night shift. Then her eyes fell on the heap of stones and the collar nestled in a box on the desk.  
  
It had to be tonight. With the creature on the loose, there was little chance of imprisoning it again. She had to finish the collar tonight! She took a glowing blue stone in one hand, and softly began to chant the words of a spell, forcing her tired mind to get every word, every inflection, just right. There was no longer any time for mistakes.  
  
* * *  
  
Jory was cleaning the kitchen. He didn't want to be there, but his antics had gotten him a detention, and his punishment was to clean the large kitchen, all night if he had to. And he had the feeling that was how long it would take, since the place looked as if it had never seen mop or broom. They'd done this on purpose, he suspected. It was cruel of the kitchen staff to leave a mess to teach him a lesson, but he had to admit it was working. Jory never wanted to clean this place again.  
  
A soft scuffling sound interrupted his thoughts. Oh, great, this place has mice. They probably want me to get rid of them, too. The sound seemed to come from above him, in the air vents. With a scowl, Jory grabbed his broom and smashed the end into the vent on the ceiling, not caring if the dented it. It was doubtful the sadistic old hag who ran this place would bother to look up anyway.  
  
Jory knew he'd made a mistake when the broom broke through the vent. And he knew he was in bigger trouble when the broom stuck, despite his determined yanks.  
  
And when a large, taloned hand broke through the vent and grabbed him around the throat, Jory knew whatever trouble he'd been in before suddenly didn't matter.  
  
* * *  
  
The alarm that called Garden to arms was rarely sounded, but all the SeeDs responded like the trained professionals they were. This included the two guarding Squall's cell, who had arrived at Headmaster Cid's office with frantic expressions. They would be scolded later; right now, there was an emergency and all hands were needed.  
  
"Stay in groups," Quistis said, "and keep spells on hand at all times. Do whatever you can to stun the creature, but do not kill it."  
  
"Absolutely no one is to be alone, and I want several volunteers to take the students outside the Garden. We will hunt the creature down; no one is to stop until we find it and have it back under control," Xu added.  
  
"You know what to do," Headmaster Cid added. "Good luck."  
  
As the SeeDs left the office, Quistis pulled Irvine aside. "I want your team to retrieve Rinoa. Squall could go after her again."  
  
Irvine nodded and went off, followed by Zell and Selphie.  
  
* * *  
  
It watched as it quietly made its way through the vents. The Garden was alert, but no one seemed to have thought of checking the air vents yet. Good. Then they hadn't found the bodies it had hidden. It had found another, a staff member who was guarding the gate, and taken care of him before the alarm had sounded.  
  
Now it was making its way to where it knew the woman of power was recovering. It would take great pleasure in killing her. Maybe it would torture her before eating her before disposing of her.  
  
* * *  
  
"Rinoa! Come on!" Irvine said frantically. Rinoa looked up from where she was setting the final stone in the collar.  
  
"Where is it?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know! But we need to get-" He broke off as a scratching noise sounded above his head. Irvine shoved Selphie and Zell back behind him, gesturing frantically at Rinoa to follow him out. Rinoa ignored him, lengthening the collar between her fingertips. She had to get it on him now!  
  
The creature broke through the vent with a cry, landing between Rinoa and Irvine. Its head glanced between them, clearly torn at who to go after. When Irvine raised his gun, the creature's claws lashed out and ripped it away. Then it grinned and turned to Rinoa.  
  
"Irvine! I need to get this around his neck!" she cried.  
  
"And how do you propose we do that?" Zell demanded.  
  
"Distract it!"  
  
Zell and Selphie stepped into the room and fanned out, providing the undecided creature with multiple targets. Now it looked clearly confused as it watched their hands glow with uncast spells. Which would it attack?  
  
For a moment, its back was to Rinoa. With a cry, she clumsily leaped onto the creature's back. It jumped sideways, struggling to dislodge her, its claws trying to grab onto her. But Rinoa held on as well as she could, using magic to help hold grip. Then she looped the collar around the creature's thick neck.  
  
It screamed as if wounded, and Rinoa dropped off its back as it began to thrash around. The others backed to the side of the room as it clawed at the magical collar, but was unable to mar its magically strengthened surface. The creature threw itself onto the floor and rolled madly about. Then, suddenly, it slammed its head into the floor and fell limp.  
  
"It. knocked itself out?" Irvine said in disbelief. "I thought the thing was damned near invulnerable?"  
  
"The collar weakens it," Rinoa whispered.  
  
"Do we have it?" Selphie asked. "Is it contained?"  
  
"I don't know." Rinoa whispered as she slumped weakly onto the desk, watching the creature's shallowly breathing form. "I just don't know."  
  
* * *  
  
"We shouldn't be here," Squall stated firmly. He stood in the knee-high grass with his arms folded across his chest. His face was carefully neutral, but Rinoa could sense his edge of fear. He'd killed three people, and didn't want to kill her as well. The collar, he said, had kept back the anger that plagued his human form, but he wasn't sure yet if it would hold back the beast, which was stronger at night. "If this doesn't work, I may attack you again. Or I may escape and head towards Balamb. We should do this in a confined area with the rest of SeeD on guard."  
  
"But you don't want them to see you this way," Rinoa said softly. "And I'm a sorceress; now that I know what to expect, I can stop you." A grim look crept across her face. "Permanently, if I have to. And if it comes to that, I don't want anyone around to stop me."  
  
Around them, the wind whispered through the grass, and soft clouds streaked the darkening sky. It was too lovely an evening to be thinking about something like this, Rinoa thought sadly. She watched as Squall tugged at the collar ringing his neck, fiddling with the straps to make sure it would be loose enough to fit after his transformation. Then he pulled off his white shirt and crouched low in the grass.  
  
"All set" Rinoa asked. Squall waved her away, but Rinoa wanted to be nearby, in case Squall went wild. He was incredibly fast; if she wasn't close, she could lose him.  
  
The sky faded from brilliant scarlet to purple, and then to the deep blue of night. As the first stars began to appear in the sky, Squall's body stiffened as he was caught in the throes of transformation.  
  
Chestnut fur rippled over his body in a wave, covering his changing musculature. His face began to elongate, and his ears became pointed and shifted to the top of his skull. A groan rattled through his pointed teeth as he tried to suppress his screams. Rinoa took a step forward, in time to see a tail break through his torn pants. She stopped as Squall rose slowly from all fours, his blue eyes glittering in the dark as he turned to face her. She held her hands ready, the words of a spell poised on her tongue.  
  
Instead of the enraged leap she was expecting, the wolf-creature continued to stare at her silently. It cocked its head uncertainly, then its jaws dropped in a canine grin and it lifted its fist in triumph.  
  
"Squall?" Rinoa asked, moving closer. "Is it you?" The creature was unable to speak, but gave a non-threatening growl. Rinoa's face split into a grin, and she wiped away tears she hadn't known she'd shed. "Then you're in control? Yes!" she cried happily, moving towards Squall confidently. She held out a hand towards his ears, still ready to cast a spell if this proved to be a trick, but doubting it. She ran her hand through Squall's sleek fur, laughing in delight.  
  
She grabbed his muzzle, pulling his elegant head down to meet her eyes. "I know it's not a cure Squall, but it's a start. I think it'll be all right, after all!"  
  
The End.  
  
I know. You wanted more death and destruction and instead you get. a happy ending? Well, if you think it's going to stay happy, raise your hands. glares at everyone with raised hands Don't you know me better than that by now? Then again, you haven't read "Moonbound" yet.  
  
For those of you who want carnage, well, this is the first fic in a story arc, and killing off all the characters in the first story makes things difficult. There will be about four stories that I know of, my muses are making up for years of neglect by giving me story ideas in bulk. The first part of the sequel, "Moonbound," should be uploaded tomorrow. Enjoy. 


End file.
